As you saw from the error message, we were down for a couple days and now we're back for a short time, possibly a couple of hours.
from lava >> So there’s a few of us working on this to try to arrive at either a temporary message page or to bring the message board back.
It's in the works.
Central messaging? Let each other know? Make your ideas happen.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island judit
on Thursday, September 17, 2026 – 06:55 pm
And thank you, lava! You rock
And thank you, lava! You rock!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance HTT Newberry heathentom
on Thursday, September 17, 2026 – 07:09 pm
Yay!
I believe for every post on viva a flower grows, so thank goodness for those who put in the effort to keep the black screen running.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Roarshock Roarshock
on Thursday, September 17, 2026 – 07:15 pm
Need that screen to feed that
Need that screen to feed that jones.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Zzzzzz Zang
on Thursday, September 17, 2026 – 07:24 pm
Hooray to everyone's hard
Thank you for everyone's hard work.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: intentionally blank mikeedwardsetc
on Thursday, September 17, 2026 – 07:24 pm
Looks like we lost some
Looks like we lost some threads/posts, but it's good to be back. Thanks to lava, and everyone else keeping this thing going.
> Central messaging? Let each other know?
A shared document which anyone with a link to it can edit/add to on google docs might work as a place to share info if we go down again.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island judit
on Thursday, September 17, 2026 – 07:29 pm
It's probable that there will
It's probable that there will be interruptions, unknown when or for how long.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island judit
on Thursday, September 17, 2026 – 07:34 pm
The missing threads/posts are
The missing threads/posts are gone, from in the process of doing a backup.
I don't know how to set up google docs... Anyone want to do that? Where would that shared document reside?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: intentionally blank mikeedwardsetc
on Thursday, September 17, 2026 – 07:45 pm
Here's a link to a google doc
Here's a link to a google doc on my account that we can use as a bulletin board/message center. Anyone with a link to it should be able to add to it/edit it:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kbnh6pJPK8NwH0_v3tiVqZDQb3EnPeeSJbbJ...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Roarshock Roarshock
on Thursday, September 17, 2026 – 07:48 pm
Compass card is spinning
Compass card is spinning
Helm is swingin' to and fro
Ooh where's the dog star
Ooh where's the moon
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: mlg joe
on Thursday, September 17, 2026 – 07:56 pm
Nothing lasts
Nothing lasts
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: mlg joe
on Thursday, September 17, 2026 – 08:10 pm
You are strong in the
You are strong in the medicine
I like that you're quiet
I like that you're humble
I like that you don't have many friends
The medicine will always follow you
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance HTT Newberry heathentom
on Thursday, September 17, 2026 – 08:35 pm
I blame Biden.
I blame Biden.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: intentionally blank mikeedwardsetc
on Thursday, September 17, 2026 – 09:27 pm
(No subject)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island judit
on Thursday, September 17, 2026 – 09:44 pm
Make sure to copy
Make sure to copy
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kbnh6pJPK8NwH0_v3tiVqZDQb3EnPeeSJbbJ...
if you're going to be able to get updates and whatever else will be on that page. Thanks for setting it up, Mike.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: mlg joe
on Thursday, September 17, 2026 – 10:45 pm
Not sure what threads were
Can't post fun pics on Google docs. Bummer.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MeditateontheQ LLOLLO
on Thursday, September 17, 2026 – 11:16 pm
Yay team, way to go!
Yay team, way to go!
My idea for a central message system: An Instagram account. If it's set to a public account, you don't need to have an Instagram account to view posts.
The shared Google doc is a good solution.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: It's me Dave open up! Davesnothere
on Thursday, September 17, 2026 – 11:20 pm
Image posted. I used the
Image posted. I used the Insert Image button in the toolbar. Check it out Joe!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Dave Nycdave
on Friday, September 18, 2026 – 08:11 am
Trouble posting pics?
Trouble posting pics?
This sounds like a fun test!
Lets give it a shot & C what gives
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: krab groad1123
on Friday, September 18, 2026 – 08:44 am
I blame Biden >>>
I blame Biden >>>
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Gregfrommaine Greg
on Friday, September 18, 2026 – 09:44 am
There is a philzone subreddit
There is a philzone subreddit for those that don't know. It's -very- inactive, but it could serve as a temporary landing spot.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: intentionally blank mikeedwardsetc
on Friday, September 18, 2026 – 09:58 am
> I used the Insert Image
> I used the Insert Image button in the toolbar.
Ctrl V worked for me when I pasted the Viva logo into the header at the top.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: mlg joe
on Friday, September 18, 2026 – 10:16 am
Thanks, Davesnothere. Much
Thanks, Davesnothere. Much appreciated.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Strangha Slickrock
on Friday, September 18, 2026 – 11:25 am
Big thanks to Lava and anyone
Big thanks to Lava and anyone else connected to the resurrection.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: intentionally blank mikeedwardsetc
on Friday, September 18, 2026 – 11:53 am
I think it should be
I think it should be mentioned here that we're coming up on the tenth anniversary of Viva, and it's not unusual for databases to get kind of goofy with the passage of time and the accumulation of lots of data. I'm guessing that's part of the problem we've been seeing lately.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island judit
on Friday, September 18, 2026 – 12:12 pm
Viva Admin Crew talked about
Viva Admin Crew talked about that, including that it is likely that the site (database?) will have to be rebuilt or replaced.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: intentionally blank mikeedwardsetc
on Friday, September 18, 2026 – 12:25 pm
Replacement would probably be
Replacement would probably be much quicker than rebuilding, and somewhat easier too, I'm thinking, but we'd likely lose everything that's ever been posted.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island judit
on Friday, September 18, 2026 – 12:30 pm
Losing everything would be
Losing everything would be like when Phil Zone closed. It was a real loss, but here we are.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MeditateontheQ LLOLLO
on Friday, September 18, 2026 – 01:23 pm
What about Internet Archive's
What about Internet Archive's Wayback Machine?
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: intentionally blank mikeedwardsetc
on Friday, September 18, 2026 – 01:26 pm
There's barely anything
There's barely anything cached there:
https://web.archive.org/web/20260000000000*/https://vivalazone.org/other...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: makaha lava
on Friday, September 18, 2026 – 01:34 pm
Hey all,
Hey all,
Thanks for everyone's patience over the past couple of days. I can share more about what's going on with the Zone, and happy to answer any questions as best as I can.
So, we're dealing with old infrastructure that needs to be rebuilt. A decade-old website infrastructure typically isn't a fixer-upper; it's a tear-down and rebuild. Regarding any data loss, we have been taking monthly backups of the Zone over the years. Between the Zoner/user data and the content, threads, and discussions, there should be little to no data loss during this wind-down process with the old architecture and as we begin transitioning to a new build for the Zone. Yesterday, on September 17, we rolled back to a September 11 snapshot/backup to restore the site to functionality, and we still have the data between those days and now.
Judit, Davey, and I have anticipated transitioning into a new build at the end of this year, recognizing the realities of the technology we are using to run the website, and have made plans to roll out a community-led process to discuss what the next website should look like and how it should function, whether it's the same as it is now or different. Look for a separate thread for that discussion on the future of the website, and, again, I'm happy to use this space to answer any questions you may have about the issues impacting the site this week.
I hope folks are as well as they can be, during these challenging times, and all my very best.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD ntfdaway
on Friday, September 18, 2026 – 01:56 pm
All our best back atcha Lava.
All our best back atcha Lava. Thank you for keeping us afloat this long.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: intentionally blank mikeedwardsetc
on Friday, September 18, 2026 – 01:58 pm
Thanks, lava.
Thanks, lava.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: jg8142 jg8142
on Friday, September 18, 2026 – 02:50 pm
Thanks for all the work. I
Thanks for all the work. I thought this page was a goner.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance HTT Newberry heathentom
on Friday, September 18, 2026 – 04:02 pm
The time & effort that you
The time & effort that you folks put into keeping this little corner up and running is damned impressive, and humbling as it seems to be a selfless project.
If there is a reckoning at the finish line, this will definitely go in the "good job" column for you three and any others involved.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Jumping Jill Flash jlp
on Saturday, September 19, 2026 – 05:29 pm
Life is a song It Ends when
Life is a song It Ends when it ends
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: 19.5 Degrees FaceOnMars
on Sunday, September 20, 2026 – 12:02 pm
Thank you, lava.
Thank you, lava.
I think it should be mentioned here that we're coming up on the tenth anniversary of Viva, and it's not unusual for databases to get kind of goofy with the passage of time and the accumulation of lots of data. I'm guessing that's part of the problem we've been seeing lately.<<<
I can't help to wonder if the old system + larger data pool + increase in bot / automated activity?
I've seen a huge increase in automatic activity over the past several years for a server I administer, and it's required vigilance with always being on it re: mitigation measures. If the underlying code is inefficient, everything just gets amplified. This is to say nothing about AI harvesting information, and this site likely being a target.
Anyone hear anything about ratdog.org?